Dnata acquires majority stake in AI solutions firm

DUBAI, November 28, 2018

Dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, has acquired a majority stake in bd4travel (Big Data for Travel), an award-winning tech company, which provides artificial intelligence (AI)-driven IT solutions to online travel agencies.

Based in Germany and the UK, bd4travel’s services were designed specifically to meet the challenges of the travel industry. The company’s sophisticated algorithms allow online travel agencies to engage with anonymous customers and personalise their shopping experience in real-time, recommending the most relevant products, services and content to them.

Running more than 40 separate sites, bd4travel currently serves leading travel organisations in 17 markets. The company’s innovative solutions have been recognised with several prestigious industry awards.

Operating a diverse portfolio of travel businesses, dnata offers comprehensive travel services for individuals, companies and the travel trade across 77 countries. The company and its partners manage a broad range of activities from business and incentive travel to worldwide tour operations, including destination management, leisure, sports and active holidays. dnata also offers sales and marketing services for hotels, along with specialist travel services for government, offshore and marine industries.

The announcement underlines dnata’s commitment to applying state-of-the-art technologies to improve efficiency and customer experience, dnata said. With its investment in bd4travel, dnata further enhances its operations and offering bringing significant benefits to its stakeholders in the travel industry.

bd4travel will continue to develop its award-winning platform to create more value for its customers, while broadening its reach across the globe with dnata.

The acquisition is effective immediately, with no interruption to the services offered by bd4travel. The business will continue under the bd4travel branding. The parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the acquisition.

“At dnata we are constantly looking for ways to embrace innovation and new technology to maximise efficiency and ensure service excellence,” said Iain Andrew, divisional senior vice president, travel services, dnata.

“The processing of big data and the application of artificial intelligence-driven digital customer interactions represent major competencies of future-proof organisations. With their outstanding, scalable technology, expert team and proven business model, bd4travel offers solutions for both. Our investment in bd4travel will help us further optimise our processes and, by taking a world-class technology to a global level, deliver more value to the travel industry.”

Andy Owen Jones, founder of bd4travel, said: “This majority acquisition by dnata is a major milestone for bd4travel, which will enable us to grow our AI-led solutions and bring this technology to more customers especially within the airline world. We are excited by the prospects of working with dnata, with their international reach and their commitment to investing in the best technologies in the travel industry. This is the start of a powerful collaboration.” - TradeArabia News Service